Tangled Up in You

by Samantha Chase

  Bobby was worth it.

  And to hell with what anyone else thought.

  * * *

  It was almost midnight when they walked through Teagan’s front door. Bobby was carrying Lucas, who was sound asleep.

  Quietly, he followed her to the kid’s room and put him gently down on the bed. Teagan placed a finger over her lips to keep him from saying anything and then motioned that she was going to get her son changed into his pajamas. Giving her a thumbs-up, he walked out of the room and went back out to the car to get the rest of their things.

  Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting on the couch with her head on his shoulder. More than anything, he wanted to stay the night. It wasn’t right, and they already had a lot to talk about, but it didn’t stop him from wanting to sleep beside Teagan. Living two hours apart already meant they didn’t get to see each other very often. Add to that the fact that when he did come to town, they couldn’t rely on asking people to keep Lucas for the night. Bobby was an adult and he understood it, but that didn’t stop the desire for the things he couldn’t have.

  Tonight he had almost asked his sister if Lucas could stay at her house, but Anna and Quinn both looked ready to drop by the time they were leaving the fireworks show. It hadn’t stopped them from inviting everyone back to their place for dessert, but asking them for anything more at that point would have been incredibly selfish.

  “I asked my mom if Lucas could stay with her tonight,” Teagan said, interrupting his thoughts. “I think she knew I was asking because we wanted to have some time alone.” She paused. “She even apologized for being too tired.”

  At least it was something, he told himself. It didn’t help him right now, but at least that was an option to look forward to.

  Placing a kiss on the top of her head, he said, “I know it was a long day for everyone.”

  Lifting her head, she looked at him. “This probably isn’t what you bargained for when you asked me out, huh?”

  “Are you kidding me?” he asked, mildly offended. “Look, I’m not going to lie to you, I would love to stay the night. I miss you and I miss holding you and making love with you, but it’s not like I don’t understand. Lucas is part of this relationship and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

  He could tell he had surprised her.

  “Bobby…”

  “I’m not a kid, Teagan. I can control myself. I may not want to, but I can do it.” With a wink, he leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose.

  “I wish things could be different,” she whispered, resting her head back on his shoulder.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, then yawned. “I want to have my cake and eat it too, I suppose. Like, if I could be the kind of mom who was more comfortable with having you stay the night without worrying that I was traumatizing my son.”

  Shaking his head, he held her close. “I don’t want you to be that kind of mom. You’re perfect the way you are.”

  They sat in silence for several minutes in the dim space, only the light from the kitchen illuminating the room.

  “When are you going home?”

  “You mean to my parents, or back to Myrtle Beach?”

  “The beach.”

  “Tomorrow,” he said solemnly. “I have therapy in the afternoon and a doctor’s appointment on Thursday, so…”

  She nodded. “How’s your hand? We didn’t talk about it after the parade. You didn’t seem to have any problems the rest of the day.”

  He had, but he’d kept it to himself. Even now he still hadn’t regained full sensation and it was freaking him out when he thought about it. Then he remembered his conversation with his father earlier.

  “I—it’s still not great,” he said slowly. “Since it’s my left hand, unless I’m trying to balance or carry stuff, I can maneuver around just fine.” He shrugged. “Everything I did the rest of the day—”

  “You did with your right hand,” she finished for him. “Bobby, maybe you need to change doctors or find a new therapist. Perhaps there’s something—”

  He shook his head and carefully considered his next words. “It’s not getting better,” he said flatly. “And it doesn’t matter if I go see new specialists or try a new therapy. I’ve already consulted with more medical professionals than I ever wanted to and the prognosis is the same.”

  “Which is?”

  “Time. It’s the only answer, and it’s not a guarantee. That’s why I stayed away for a couple of weeks. I was in one appointment after another and…I was angry. Really angry.”

  “And now?”

  “I still am.”

  She shifted beside him and then stood, holding out her hand. He looked up at her quizzically.

  “We can set the alarm for around five. Lucas won’t be up before seven. That will give you time to get up and sneak out before he comes out of his room.”

  “Teagan…”

  As much as he wanted to argue, he was on his feet and letting her lead him to the bedroom. Then he let her take the lead in making him feel good.

  It was the first time in a long time that he didn’t mind the help.

  Chapter 8

  Pulling into the parking lot of Bobby’s condo complex the following Friday, Teagan felt herself sag with relief. She’d made it.

  Getting out the door that morning had been quite chaotic. Lucas wasn’t cooperating, because he wanted to go with her rather than stay with his grandparents. He’d never argued with her about sleepovers before, but because she’d admitted that she was going to see Bobby, he automatically felt he should have been included in those plans. As a compromise, she’d promised that the next time she came to visit, he could come with her.

  Once at her parents’ house, they’d started grilling her about how serious the relationship was getting and what she and Bobby were planning, considering the current logistics. And it didn’t matter how much she tried to put them off by saying they hadn’t really talked about it yet—and they hadn’t—her parents were fairly persistent in giving their opinions.

  She felt like she’d barely escaped with her life at that point.

  While she was packing before leaving, she’d realized she didn’t have anything sexy to bring, or even anything trendy enough to wear to a concert. That had necessitated a one-hour side trip to do some shopping on her way down.

  So to be parking her car and seeing Bobby come out the front door to greet her felt like a major accomplishment.

  Climbing from the car, she stretched and was instantly swept up into Bobby’s arms. He kissed her soundly before putting her down on her feet. “I’m so glad you’re here,” he said, and she could see the truth of that written all over his face. Without asking, he pulled her suitcase from the back seat before taking her hand and leading her into his house.

  Stepping inside, Teagan was pleasantly surprised. It was beautifully decorated, if a little masculine for her taste, and was impeccably tidy. Bobby turned to look at her and laughed softly.

  “Don’t be too impressed. I hired a cleaning company to come in yesterday and scour the place from top to bottom,” he admitted.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” she said, unable to hide her amusement. “But it is greatly appreciated.”

  Putting her suitcase down outside his bedroom door, he gave her a quick tour of the place. “Living room, dining room, kitchen,” he said, indicating each area that was part of a fairly open floor plan. “Master bedroom and bath are to the right. There’s a half bath by the front door, and upstairs is a guest bedroom, full bath, and a loft.”

  “Wow,” she said, seriously impressed. “This is great. And how long have you been here?”

  “A couple of years.” He led her to the back of the room and opened the sliding glass doors. “You can’t hear the ocean from here, but we’re only a couple of blocks from
the beach. The nice thing about this unit is that it’s at the back of the complex so there’s nothing behind me except that wall of trees that separate us from the houses behind us. It’s a little private, and I have a deck so I can grill if I want to.”

  “It’s a wonderful space,” she agreed and then looked up at him, smiling. “Will we be grilling tonight?”

  Pulling her in close and wrapping his arms around her waist, he shook his head. “Nope. This weekend I’m taking you out and spoiling you rotten.”

  Her eyes widened. “Bobby, you don’t have to do that. There’s something to be said for having a cozy and private dinner in.”

  “That’s what breakfast and lunch are for,” he said with a sexy grin. “I’ve got our weekend all planned. I talked to Riley yesterday and he invited us to have a late dinner with him and Savannah after the show tomorrow night. I hope you don’t mind, but I said yes.”

  “Are you kidding? That’s awesome!” She gasped and pulled out of his arms. “Does this mean we’ll get to go backstage?” Another gasp. “Oh my gosh. I don’t know if my outfit is good enough to meet the band and go out with Riley and Savannah!”

  “Teagan…”

  “I stopped and went shopping on my way here and now I’m second-guessing everything and I’m probably going to look like a total dork in front of everyone and Riley’s going to wish he never invited me—” She stopped and groaned, collapsing on his massive sofa in despair.

  Bobby joined her, laughing.

  “What? What’s so funny?” she demanded. “I’m having a crisis here!”

  “That’s what’s so funny.” Taking one of her hands in his, he explained. “You’re usually the most level-headed person I know, and to stand here and watch you freak out over your outfit just is a little…well. It’s so out of character for you that it’s funny.”

  “Easy for you to say,” she murmured, “all you have to do is put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and you’re good to go.”

  “Hardly.”

  She glared at him because she knew she was right, and he was just trying to placate her.

  “Either way, I’m freaking out.”

  “Wait, you said you shopped on the way here?”

  She nodded.

  “Are the bags in your suitcase?”

  “No, they’re out in the trunk. I didn’t think to grab them.”

  “Are your keys in your purse?”

  She nodded. “Why?”

  “I’ll go get them. And I think you need to show me what you bought so I can calm you down.”

  “Bobby…”

  But he wasn’t listening, already walking out the front door. Except maybe that was a good thing. She could model some of her new purchases for him—including the ridiculous amount of lingerie she’d purchased from Victoria’s Secret. Never had she felt so giddy about parading around in her underwear!

  When he walked back in two minutes later, it was the pink shopping bag that he was dangling in front of her with a wicked grin on his face. “Whatever you have in here, I can guarantee it will not make you look like a dork.”

  With that, she laughed and came to her feet, taking the bag from his hands. “The contents of this bag are the least of my worries.”

  “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that.” Taking her by the hand, he led her to the bedroom and sat down on the bed. “You can change in the bathroom—or right here,” he added. “That is, if you don’t mind an audience.”

  Decisions, decisions.

  “You wait here,” she said saucily as she turned and walked into the en suite, shutting the door behind her. Glancing at her reflection, Teagan almost didn’t recognize the face looking back at her. She was flushed with excitement, her hair in mild disarray, and her heart was beating rapidly.

  She’d never been happier or felt so carefree.

  Stripping quickly, she reached into the bag and pulled out the first bra and panty set, a deep crimson set that was primarily lace. Once she’d put the garments on and looked at herself in the mirror, she had to admit she looked sexier than she’d ever thought possible. For the first time in forever, she wasn’t going to obsess about her stretch marks or the fact that her stomach wasn’t completely flat. Right now she felt like some sort of sexy pinup girl, and she was loving it.

  And when she opened the bathroom door and caught Bobby’s reaction, she loved it even more. Striking a sexy pose against the door frame, she asked, “Do you like it?”

  Slowly, he came to his feet and simply stared. “How many of these did you buy today?”

  She had to hide her smile. “All together? Six sets.”

  Nodding, he said, “I promise to buy you six more.”

  “Oh, really? And why would you need to do that?” she asked, her voice becoming more and more breathless with anticipation as he moved toward her.

  “Because I know I’m not only going to be ripping these off of you any minute, but if the others are anything like them, they’ll be gone too.”

  “Hmm. Makes me think I should have stuck to my white cotton.”

  “It wouldn’t matter,” he said when they were toe-to-toe. “I enjoy ripping those off of you too.”

  She was practically panting now with the need for him to do just that.

  So what if she’d just spent a ridiculous amount of money on lingerie that was barely going to get worn before getting destroyed.

  Stepping away from the door, Teagan leaned into Bobby and let out a sexy little moan. “Then what are you waiting for?”

  After that it was purely, simply, madness.

  His hands were everywhere. She was airborne in the blink of an eye, landing on the bed with a quick bounce. In an instant he was right there beside her.

  “Maybe we’ll just order in tonight,” he said, nipping at the swell of her breast.

  “It’s barely lunchtime,” she replied breathlessly. “I think there’s still time to go out.”

  He shook his head and used his teeth to move the lacy cup aside. “I don’t think that’s going to be a possibility. Not after seeing how good you look in red lace. Now I want to know what other colors are in the bag.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to argue—she didn’t want to ruin all of them in one afternoon—but then his mouth began traveling and doing some absolutely sinful things to her body and she gave up the fight.

  Best money ever spent.

  * * *

  The setting sun found them walking on the beach hand in hand.

  As much as he was reluctant to let her out of the house knowing what she was wearing under her clothes, Bobby figured he should stick to his original plan of spoiling her and taking her out on some proper kid-free dates.

  Although he kind of missed Lucas.

  Not that he was going to bring that up right now. Teagan had called her son before they left the house and was a little teary-eyed by the time she hung up, so he didn’t want to do or say anything to make her feel worse.

  “We’re walking to the restaurant?” she asked.

  Nodding, he said, “It’s not too far and I thought it was a great night to do this. When was the last time you’ve been to Myrtle Beach?”

  “Oh, my goodness. I was maybe twelve or thirteen,” she said, smiling at the memory. “We used to meet Uncle Ian and everyone here. We used to do it a lot more when I was really young, before Aunt Lily passed away.”

  Sometimes he forgot they had so much history in common.

  “She was an amazing woman,” Bobby said. “My mom was her best friend and I always considered her to be my second mom. I think I cried as much as her kids did when she died.”

  They walked in silence for a few minutes. “My folks were devastated that we couldn’t fly in for her funeral. My dad was deployed and we just couldn’t afford it. That’s something that’s always bothered them.” She paused
and looked at him. “Do you realize if we had come, you and I would have met back then?”

  He hadn’t thought of that. “We would have been kids.”

  “Well, I would have,” she reasoned. “You’re older than me.” Then she elbowed him playfully. “You wouldn’t even have noticed me.”

  Sadly, she was right. There was a bit of an age difference and right now it wasn’t a big deal, but back then? Uh, yeah. It would have been weird.

  Talking about Mrs. Shaughnessy always made him melancholy, and no doubt Teagan was feeling it too. He’d gone from avoiding conversation about Lucas so that she wouldn’t be sad to talking about her dead aunt and making them both sad.

  Man, he seriously sucked at this conversation thing.

  “Okay, so…surf and turf,” he said, quickly changing the subject. “This place has some of the best steaks in town, and the lobster is even better.”

  “Ooo, two of my favorites!”

  And just like that, the mood shifted. They walked and talked about everything and nothing, and by the time they were walking up to the restaurant, Bobby felt like he’d redeemed himself a little.

  “That was a glorious walk,” she commented as they climbed the steps up to the front door. “Although I have a feeling that I’ll be cursing that same gorgeous view later on when I’m way too full from a delicious dinner.”

  Damn, he hadn’t thought of that either.

  “I can run back and get the car for you if you want. You know, after dinner,” he quickly amended.

  “Bobby, I was only kidding. I’m going to enjoy dinner and the walk back. I really love living on the coast, and I don’t take advantage of it nearly enough. So thank you for making this a part of our night out. It’s perfect.”

  And…redeeming himself again. It was like a damn roller coaster. Maybe this was why he’d avoided seriously dating anyone for so long—it was exhausting.

  An hour later, however, he decided the exhaustion was worth it. The food had been delicious, the atmosphere was romantic, and the look on Teagan’s face showed how much she was enjoying herself, which had been his goal all along.

  After they ate, they danced out on the deck under the stars, the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore behind them.